'It is necessary to clearly define responsibility and strictly punish food safety violations'

(Baonghean.vn)- According to delegate Nguyen Thanh Hien, there are serious violations in the field of food safety, voters are worried, but the guidance documents are slow. It is necessary to clarify the responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals.

Delegate Nguyen Thanh Hien gives comments on the draft Law on the use of state assets. Photo: TL

On June 5, continuing the content of the 3rd session, the 14th National Assembly listened to Member of the National Assembly Standing Committee, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Phan Xuan Dung present the Report of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the implementation of policies and laws on food safety in the 2011-2016 period; delegates discussed in the hall about the implementation of policies and laws on food safety in the 2011-2016 period.

The working content is broadcast live on television and radio.

Commenting on the Report of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the implementation of policies and laws on food safety in the period 2011-2016, delegate Nguyen Thanh Hien - Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province said that the worrying thing is that the documents guiding the implementation of laws on food safety are still slow, unsystematic, overlapping, unclear, and some areas still lack specific guidance.

The food safety sector is increasingly having serious violations, voters across the country are worried and upset, but it is only after 3-4 years that we have had guiding documents for implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the causes and responsibilities of groups and individuals related to this issue.

At the same time, it is necessary to clarify the overlapping, contradictory, and even illegal situation. This issue was mentioned in the report at the forum on "Food safety policy in Vietnam, current situation and solutions", which pointed out 13 points of contradiction between the Food Safety Law and Decree No. 38 of the Government and Joint Circular No. 13 of 2014 of the 3 ministries (Health, Agriculture & Rural Development, Industry and Trade). This inadequacy is also the cause of limited results in implementing food safety at the grassroots level. Therefore, the report needs to clarify why this inadequacy has occurred, what is the lack of responsibility, what is the lack of practicality in making policies.

Regarding the implementation of policies on food safety laws, delegate Nguyen Thanh Hien said that it is necessary to clarify the situation of the organization of the food safety apparatus from central to local levels, which is not only not commensurate with the tasks but also cumbersome, with overlapping responsibilities and a lack of effective coordination mechanisms.

Inspection and examination work increases every year, but does not cover all types of food production and processing, there are still many dark spots and gaps in management processes. Violations are not handled strictly, promptly, and decisively, mainly administratively, so they do not ensure deterrence. The number of establishments handling violations is only 20%, which is too low. Professional equipment and working equipment for professional teams are still lacking, especially mobile equipment and quick inspection.

PV-CTV Group